


Spitting Images

by DameoftheDark



Series: Dani Phantom [4]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: AU where danny sam and tucker are the opposide gender, Bullying, F/M, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-19 01:40:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15499482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DameoftheDark/pseuds/DameoftheDark
Summary: After Dani is relentlessly bullied by Dash and the other popular kids, she decides that enough is enough. She wants to make them pay for mistreating and humiliating her, so she employs her ghost powers for nefarious purposes. First, she targets Star and the cheerleaders, then she goes after Paulina, and then torments the jocks, scaring the living daylights out of all of them. These actions, however, invoke a trapped soul from within Dani's new locker, and soon the ghost girl finds herself face to face with Sidney Poindexter; the famous ghost of Casper High. The disgruntled apparition pulls Dani into his world, which is a mirrored version of the half ghost's own, with the sole purpose of teaching her a lesson. However, the two find they actually have more in common than either of them thought. They both realize that they aren't so different.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There's some strong language here, but not too much. I wasn't sure if I wanted to add swear words at all, but the topic which Dani will be mostly bullied for is rather adult in nature, so it couldn't be helped. Don't worry though; its gets better for her in the end!

Morning light seeped into the young heroine’s room through closed blinds, casting the entire space in a warm yellow. It was likely the entire city was bathed in this same light, thereby rousing the citizens for the new day. Dani was one of these waking citizens, of course, seeing as the weekend had ended. She had enjoyed an idyllic, pizza-filled Saturday with Sam and Tucker and then a relaxing Sunday with her family. However, she also had to spread her homework out between the two days, so she could get it all done without stressing herself out too much. With Tucker to help her out though, it made a world of difference.

Now, she had to greet the light Monday morning. The tired teenager sluggishly rose from her bed, pausing to stretch her arms and back. Her bare feet dropped to the floor, causing her to wince; it was cold, after all.

Clumsily, she dragged herself to her dresser and opened one of the drawers. Eyeing a grey t-shirt with a pink oval at the chest, she grasped it, and then yanked a pair of dark blue skinny jeans from the drawer below that one. After that she walked over to a smaller dresser and reached into a partially open drawer and felt around. Her face adopted a confused look when she didn’t feel any kind of fabric.

“That’s…odd,” she commented to herself. 

It seemed her sock drawer was empty.

But then she reached back further, straining her arm, and felt two separated pieces of cotton. When she pulled them out of the drawer, noticing that they were two different colors; one was purple and the other was yellow.

“This’ll do,” she mumbled.

The young half ghost slipped the socks on and patted over to her school bag, which sat on the floor next to her desk. Her textbooks and homework were still lying on the desk, right where she left them the day before. With a groan, she packed her bag, filling it to the brim. Dani zipped up the bag, but she had to force it to close.

The ghost girl threw the pink bag over her shoulder and took a step, then stopped.

“Oh yeah, I need my wallet.”

Dani, as she stepped into her black converse tennis shoes, eyeballed her bedside table, where her Humpty Dumpty wallet lay.

She neared the bedside table and reached for her wallet, but then she saw something rustle out of the corner of her eye. Also sitting on the table was her cellphone. The movement she saw was most likely it vibrating from a text. Had Sam or Tucker texted her? They usually didn’t this earlier in the morning; Sam especially. Like all other teenagers, they were too tired themselves to deal with anything, let along be bothered to send a text.

The ghost girl flipped open her phone to investigate. She had indeed received a message, but it wasn’t from either of her friends. 

It read: // _I hope you had a pleasant weekend. I’m sorry I couldn’t join you. We will begin your training afterschool every Tuesday and Thursday. If for any reason I’m unable to make those dates, I will let you know beforehand. I look forward to seeing you, Danielle. -V//_   

The young girl held the phone close to her chest while letting out a happy squeal. She would have to wait until the next day, but now she had another reason to look forward to school ending. The first being, naturally, the fact itself.

Something told Dani she was going to have a pretty good day.

With a spring in her step, Dani left her room and hopped down the stairs to the living room, where she found Jazz waiting by the door.

“What are you doing here?” Dani asked her older sister. “Shouldn’t you be driving to school by now?”

“I had to take it to the shop yesterday,” Jazz replied, sighing. “The break lights weren’t working right.”

“Oh.”

That meant she had to share the bus ride with Jazz. Dani hadn’t had to do that since her sister turned sixteen.

_Lovely._

Then the girls exited the house and stood on the street corner, waiting for the yellow box of perdition to whisk them away to Casper High.

 

*********

 

The bus had been crammed, of course, so Dani found it impossible to enjoy the ride. And it didn’t help matters having Jazz there; though she wasn’t sitting next to her, the older teen couldn’t help embarrassing her younger sister by attempting to “assist” her fellow peers by offering psychological advice. Everyone knew the two were related, and Dani had a feeling people were snickering and pointing fingers, most likely saying things like: “She’s at it again” and “Seriously, why does Jazz Fenton have to be such a nosy know-it-all?”, as well as “I bet Dani Fenton is just as annoying”.

To ease her nerves, Dani opened up her phone and gazed at the text Vlad sent her. She smiled tenderly into the phone, feeling her worries wash away. The young heroine found it rather odd, how his written words could provide her with as much comfort as his spoken ones. Then she attributed that to being able to hear him say those words out loud; she could just **hear** him actually saying those things.

_He texts exactly like he talks. How cute!_

As she strolled through the hall, Dani couldn’t take her eyes off the phone’s screen. The sounds of footsteps filled her ears, accompanied by the voices of her exhausted peers, but she didn’t register any of it. The sounds were muddled, barely recognizable. It was as if she was under water; every sound echoed in a distance way, giving the young girl the illusion they were further away than they really were.

Suddenly, Dani slammed into something firm and solid. She let out a yelp and nearly fell backward.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going, Fenterina!”

_Oh no._

The young girl tilted her head up and saw Dash Baxter glaring down at her. To the quart back’s left was his best friend Kwan, who also looked displeased.

“Yeah, watch it, Fenton,” he warned.

“S-sorry,” the girl squeaked.

“Actually,” Dash began, suddenly adopting a smug expression. “It’s good we ran into you. Mr. Lancer wanted us to tell you you’ve been assigned a new locker; one right by the band room.”

“Wait---what? Why?” Dani asked, worry oozing from her tone.

“’Cause someone trashed you’re old one. No idea who, though,” the football player lied, shrugging slowly.

“Hey, looks like you dropped something,” Kwan teased before reaching down and picking up Dani’s cell phone.

“G-give that back!” the ghost girl panicked. The last thing she needed was her tormentors stealing her phone and then having to tell her parents she needed a new one. Again.

Kwan flicked it open, as it had closed when it hit the ground, and read the text that was still visible on the screen.

“Hey Dash, lookie here. Fentuiet here has herself a Romeo!”  

_Oh no! Oh no no no no no!_

“Ha! Who texts like this anymore?” Dash laughed. “‘ **V** ’, huh?”

“Stop! Just give it back!” Dani jumped up to grab it, only for Kwan to hold it up higher.

“Come on, Fenton, you’ll have to try harder than that.”

Then Dash took the phone from Kwan and pointed down the hall. “Hey! Go long, dude!”

  _NO!_

Kwan broke into a sprint, stopping only when he reached a fork in the hall. Then he waved his arms in the air.

“I’m open!”

“No, you’re not!” Dani called over her shoulder with the greatest of panic in her voice.

Dash ignored the young heroine and pulled back, aiming at his friend’s position.

“Wait! Please don’t---”

Dash threw the phone, and Dani could do nothing as she saw it sail across the hall. For the briefest of moments she humored using her powers to catch it, but ultimately, she knew that was a bad idea. If she thought school life was hard now, it would be much much worse if Dash and the others found out she was half ghost. They already thought she was a freak, no need to actually confirm their abuses.

The cell phone got closer to Kwan, who bent his knees in a crouch, ready to catch it in his palms. But the cellular device started to descend, and before Dani’s azure eyes, it crashed to the floor, shattering into several pieces.

“NO!” the girl screamed as she ran to it, cupping the broken phone in her hands once she reached it. Her face contorted into an expression full of despair.

_Vlad’s text…_

“Geez, Fenton, chill out. It’s just a phone,” Kwan taunted with a smirk.

“Yeah, and I’m sure ‘V’ can just get you another one,” Dash sneered.

The young girl slowly looked over her shoulder, watching the quarter back as he walked over to her.

“W-what?”

“Oh please, it’s obvious he’s some older guy. I mean come on, **no one** texts like that anymore, unless you’re our parents’ age.”

“You mean,” Kwan began, in mock surprise. “Fenton’s a gold digger?”

“I’m not!”

“Or a hussy,” Dash stated with a grin.

“That’s not true! There’s nothing going on, anyway!” Dani fired back, feeling a slight sting as the words left her mouth.   

The boys continued to berate their classmate for a couple minutes, until the bell rang. Then the football players high fived and headed to class, with one last comment to the girl sitting on the floor.

“See you later, Fenton! Hope ‘V’ doesn’t have to spend too much!”

Once the two were out of ear-shot, Dani stood up on shaking knees, tears threatening to escape from her eyes. Deliberately, the young half ghost scooped up what remained of her phone and discarded it in the trash. Then she walked over to her locker, which was, indeed, ruined. The door was dented in places, the lock was broken, and there was a strong scent of rubbing alcohol all over. Then Dani saw someone snickering a few lockers down. Star and a couple of her friends were looking in the ghost girl’s direction, and one of them flashed an empty bottle of nail polish remover.

  So much for that “pretty good day”.

 

**********

 

Dani found her new locker adjacent to the band room door, with only a few seconds to spare. She knew she was going to be late for class, but the young heroine hoped being late by only a couple minutes wasn’t enough to warrant detention. The contents of her old locker had been drenched in nail polish remover, but she took the time to relocate them to her new locker anyway. After all, when was she going to get a new History textbook and prized, limited addition Humpty Dumpty pencil case? She just prayed that she could get the smell out. Maybe her parents had something she could use?

The young heroine peered at the locker combination the assistant principal gave her and entered it into the combination lock. She noted how unkept this locker was; given its state of disrepair, it was obvious it hadn’t been used for quite some time. Unlike the other lockers, which were painted a vibrant green, this one was a dull, grungy, dirty shade of brown, with only hints of the vibrancy it once exhibited. The lock itself was only slightly better than her now broken one, requiring a swift jerk in order to open the locker.

The door groaned as she swung it open, sending a chill up Dani’s spine. She was reminded of the way looming mansion doors creaked open in those old horror movies her parents used to watch; the ones she wasn’t allowed to see because they were too scary.

Gazing inside, Dani was greeted by a couple cobwebs in the corners of the small space, and an oval shaped mirror.

“Weird thing to put in a locker,” the ghost girl murmured.

 The frame which held the looking glass was rusted, but Dani could still make out the brilliant gold metalwork; fragments of its former glory clung to the frame in the form of simple designs, ones that depicted elegant waves and curves. It must have glimmered once, perhaps a long time ago, but now it appeared as lifeless as an abandoned house, one emptied of occupants for decades.

Dani stared at her reflection in the cloudy mirror. Then she reached into the locker and wiped away the dust and suspicious stains with her arm, granting her a clearer image of herself. She looked drained, perhaps from her earlier encounter with Dash and Kwan. The young heroine also noted the melancholy present in her baby blues, no doubt from the years she suffered at the hands of Dash and his ilk, or from Paulina and her band of social assassins.

Or, it could have been from losing her phone; her first text from Vlad, and the only thing that promised to get her through the day.

_Or maybe it’s both. I feel like it’s both._

She sighed and placed her non-essentials into her new locker, making sure to keep her math book in her bag, and quickly shut the door. The young girl then raced to her first class, leaving the dilapidated locker behind her. However, as the young girl disappeared around the corner, an eerie green mist manifested from the locker, along with a low moan.

 

********

 

“Ah, Gym class, with its sweat, smell, and guarantee of jeering from the popular kids; it has to be my favorite time of day,” Tucker sighed in mock delight.

Dani, who was sitting on a bench and tying her gym shoe’s laces, responded without looking at the computer geek.

“Given all that, it sounds like it would be the worse.”

“Honestly Dani, don’t you know sarcasm when you hear it?” Tucker questioned with a smirk.

“Oh, I know what sarcasm sounds like,” the ghost girl began. “And I also know what I’d like to do to Dash and other popular kids.”

Tucker’s face traded playfulness for minor confusion. “Sorry?”

The young heroine jerked her laces tight, telling the computer geek that all was not well with her friend. Then Dani stood and glanced at Tucker.

“I’m at my limit, Tuck. I can’t take this anymore. They’re constantly ridiculing me, harassing me, and taunting you and Sam. Well, I’ve had it.”

“Did something happen?” Tucker asked with concern in her features. “What did Dash do now?”

Dani glared at no one in particular. “He and Kwan destroyed my phone, and Star and her ‘jeerleading squad’ trashed my locker.”

The geek’s turquoise orbs reflected her empathy; they were wide and sad, and her eyebrows shot up her forehead.

“That’s…that’s awful. I’m so sorry, Dani.”

“Why’re you sorry? You had nothing to do with it. I want Dash and Kwan to be sorry; I want them all to be sorry!” the young teenager lamented in agitation.

“I feel you, girlfriend. Someone needs to give them a taste of their own rotten medicine.”

“Yeah, and I know just the person,” the ghost girl affirmed with a dangerous grin.

_Me._

The two companions exited the locker room and wafted into the gymnasium, along with a chain of high school juniors. They all lined up in the center of the basketball court, standing in neat formation on the Center Circle’s dividing line. The young half ghost and the computer geek stood at the end of the line on the right side and, along with their classmates, waited. After only a few seconds, the gym teacher Ms. Tetslaff marched into the room.

“Alright everyone, today we’re playin’ dodgeball, and anyone I see wussing out is getting an automatic F for participation! We’re gonna split into two teams; the Jerseys versus the Vests.”

Tucker leaned over to Dani and whispered: “Wonder which team we’ll be one?”

“The same one as always, Tuck,” Dani deadpanned.

“Now, the captain of the Jerseys is Dash---”

“Ah yeah! Gonna stick it to you nerds so hard!” the quarter back enthused.

“---and the captain of the Vests is Dani Fenton.”

_Wait, What?_

“Wait, what?” the ghost girl repeated out loud.

Dash looked over from his spot in line (which was further on the left side of the court) and sneered in Dani’s direction.

“Yer going down, Fentuliet!”

Tucker leaned over to her friend once again. “‘Fentuliet’?”

“Long story,” Dani replied curtly.

The ginger teacher walked over to the basketball hoop, were a cart of red playground balls was ready and waiting. She lifted open the lid and grabbed two armfuls of the rubber atrocities, and then swiftly tossed them in her students’ path. Once all of the balls where strewn about the half court, Ms. Tetslaff clapped her hands together.

“So, now’s the time for the captains to pick their teams. You have five minutes, then the game begins. Get to it!” 

Dani turned to her friend, fear written all over her face. “What am I gonna do? I can’t be team captain! I don’t know anything about being a team captain!”

“Dani, it’s O.K.,” Tucker reassured. “I’m here for you, and I’m sure as heck not gonna let you do this alone. Besides, as team captain, you get to pick anyone you want! You won’t be the last one picked **this** time.”

“I guess…” the young heroine said with apprehension still evident in her tone. “And either will you.”

“You’re darn right! So, as your co-captain, I say we go with Jerome.”

“Jerome?!” Dani whisper-yelled. “Jerome’s one of Dash’s friends!”

“So? If we pick him first, he can’t switch teams. Besides, he’s kinda cute, don’t you think?”

The two girls looked at the jock in question. He was tall, broad, and wore his black hair short; a buzz cut. His round eyes were turquoise, but a darker shade than Tucker’s own orbs, and his lips were full. To Dani, he looked like the average high school football player. There wasn’t anything remotely special about him, nothing inspiring. He didn’t possess anything unique or attention grabbing; nothing that stuck out or was eye catching. Of course, the raging mass of testosterone had been the current obsession of one Tucker Foley for several months now.

The computer geek tugged at her red beanie as she blushed. “Gee, he’s something, isn’t he?”

“He’s _something_ , alright. I just don’t know what that _something_ is,” Dani replied.

“Well, go on. Pick him.”

The ghost girl turned to Tucker and rose an eyebrow. “Why don’t you go, since you’re so eager to have him on our team.”

“Alright, I will!” the geek proclaimed.

She strode over to the Nubian jock, and with the greatest of confidence, asked him to join the Vests. The young heroine watched as Jerome cocked his head to the side and blinked several times. His brow was furrowed in bewilderment, and his mouth was agape. Then Tucker started explaining, only to have Dash slap Jerome on the back, and ask him to join his team. Jerome beamed, and high fived the blonde football player. As they walked away, Jerome said: “Who was that girl, anyway?”

“Oh, don’t worry about her. She’s just another loser who hangs around Dani Fenton all the time,” Dash enlightened. 

“Yeah, that would explain why I’d never seen her at your parties. What was she thinking; asking me to join the Vests? As if I’d be caught dead hanging around those dweebs!”

Dani’s blood began to boil. Her eyes became fierce and she balled her hands into tight fists. She held them so tight she thought her fingers would fall off.

Tucker returned to the young heroine with a dejected frown.

“Well, it was worth a try,” she sighed.

“How can you be so calm after that?! He practically humiliated you! He acted like you were stupid for even asking him in the first place!”

“Look Dani, I can take a lot, and frankly, that was pretty tame. We’re used to much worse.”

“We shouldn’t **have** to be used to worse! That’s what I was getting at earlier! We don’t deserve this, and somehow I’m gonna make them pay for this; for everything!”

Tucker’s feature expressed her growing sympathy. “I know, dude. I’m not gonna lie; that kinda sucked. You know that I liked Jerome, but I knew in the back of my mind that he would probably react that way. I mean, he’s a popular kid and I’m, well, not. It’s the social hierarchy of high school; some are spared from bullying, and others, the outcasts, aren’t.”

“But who gets to decide who the outcasts are? What rules or doctrine gets to dictate who’s cool and who’s not?” the young half ghost asked, frustration leaking from her tone.

“I dunno, man. That’s just the way the cookie crumples, I guess.”

Suddenly, Ms. Tetslaff’s shrill voice permeated the musty air of the gym, alerting the students that Judgement Day was upon them. 

“Times up! Vests; take the balls and line them up in the Center Circle line. Jerseys, you’re at the wall.”

Dash and his team made their way to the left side of the court, congregating at the wall under to the hoop. The young half ghost, eyeing them, realized something frightening.

Dash had picked the entire class.

Even the nerds.

Even the one weird kid who talked to himself!

“Uh, Ms. Tetslaff?” Dani called. “Dash’s team outnumbers ours---by a lot.”

“So? If you weren’t so busy chit chatting with Foley, you would have been able to assemble a proper team. I told you; you had **five minutes** ,” she explained coldly.

“Great,” Tucker complained.

“‘The hierarchy of high school’ includes teachers, does it?” the ghost girl asked her friend.

“Apparently,” the geek said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her noise and frowning.

The young heroine and her friend proceeded with the task their teacher put to them. Taking a few balls at a time, they had them all lined up within minutes. After this, Tucker and Dani began their agonizing walk to their end of the court, picturing the doom that was awaiting them.

When they reached the other end of the court, Ms. Tetslaff handed out spare Casper High football jerseys to the other team, and then sauntered over to Dani and Tucker. She gave them each a bright neon yellow reflective vest, and then jogged over to the bleachers. Once there, she held her whistle to her mouth.

“Alright folks. 3…2…1.”

The ginger teacher blew her whistle, and Dash and his team rushed to the Center Circle line. Dani and Tucker looked at one another and stayed rooted to their spots. They didn’t see the point in following the other team’s lead; their fates were inevitable. Instead, they gazed into each other’s faces, seeing the anxiety and resignation reflected from within.

“It was nice knowing you, Dani,” the computer geek said.

“Right back at you,” the ghost girl replied.

Dash had reached the line first, so he wasted no time in grabbing a ball and hurling it towards Dani. The young half ghost, with a yelp, jumped out of the way. At first, the quarter back was taken aback, but then merely smirked as he reached for a second ball. He launched it in Dani’s direction once again, and soon, a volley of red rubber bruisers soared through the air. Tucker managed to dodge a few, but was struck in the face with one that Kwan had thrown. She fell to the ground, holding her swollen cheek. The young heroine attempted to cry foul, but Ms. Tetslaff wouldn’t hear it. In response, Dani growled at Dash’s team, not that they could hear it, and raced over to one of the balls on her side of the court. Grabbing it, she quickly turned around, only to see another coming in her direction. It was at eye level, and Dani realized, in an instant, that she would not be able to dodge it. So, she stood her ground (sort of) and held her ball up to her face, blocking the oncoming red bruiser.

The ball slammed against Dani’s, sending it into her face. The other bounced off and hit the bleachers. The young heroine fell backward, hitting the gym floor. A searing pain shot through her noise, and seconds after that, she felt something warm trickle down her face. With a trembling hand, she felt her upper lip. When she took it away, she saw warm red on her fingertips.

Dash was laughing like he had heard the funniest joke in the world, and Kwan and Jerome were joining in. The others on Dash’s team apparently weren’t in on the joke, but did nothing to help.

Ms. Tetslaff blew her whistle again. “That’s enough, Baxter!”

Once the quarter back and his friends ceased their laughing (by wiping their tears away), the ginger teacher jogged over to Dani and Tucker, who was still lying on her side.

“You two need to go to the Nurse’s Office, pronto.”   

 

*********

 

Dani rested on a plush white cot, holding a tissue up to her fractured noise. Tucker was sitting on the one to Dani’s left, an icepack in hand. Keeping it to her cheek, she winced and sucked in her breaths through clenched teeth. Sam, who had joined them some minutes ago, sat on the end of Dani’s bed, concern visible in his features.

“Yikes, I had no idea Ms. Tetslaff could be so merciless,” the goth remarked.

“That’s ‘cause you have her in the afternoon,” Tucker began, holding the icepack away from her face. “Before her morning coffee kicks in, she’s an iceberg.”

“I still can’t believe she let Dash recruit the whole class! That’s completely unfair.”

“He’s the star quarterback. He can do no wrong,” the young heroine scoffed. 

Sam turned to his ghostly friend, placing a supportive hand on her own.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, as well as what happened this morning, but don’t worry, someday this’ll be just a distant memory.”

“When? When I’m in college and away from Dash, Paulina, and the rest of them? Why should I have to wait that long?” the ghost girl prodded. She sat up then, flinching. Her face morphed into a pained grimace as she grabbed another tissue from the box on the bedside table.

“I know its hard, but what else can you do? Going to the teachers never helps, and its not like you can beat them at their own game.”

Then Dani’s eyes flashed with mischief. “Except, I can.”

“Oh no, Oh no no no no. You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking? Dani, we talked about this, remember?”

“Hey, I’m with Dani on this one,” Tucker started, pushing the icepack flush against her cheek once more. “They need to learn their lesson, and what better way then for Dani Phantom to scare the living daylights out of them? Maybe rough them up a bit, or make their books levitate---”

“No way!” the goth admonished. “Using you’re powers to get back at the bullies doesn’t make you the good guy, Dani. It just makes you a bully too!”

“Oh come on, Sam. It’s not like I’m gonna beat them up or spread nasty rumors about them. I’m just gonna spook ‘em at bit.”

“Good idea! Hey, maybe you could use a frog to whack Paulina on the head, or pants Kwan in the cafeteria,” Tucker suggested.

“No frogs and no pantsing! I can’t believe you’re even considering this, Dani.”

“I’m not considering it,” the ghost girl clarified. “I’m already doing it. I’m tired of being Casper High’s punching bag. Aren’t you?”

“Yes, but it won’t last! If you’re gonna use your ghost powers, why not overshadow Lancer or the principal and give them all detention?”

“Like that will put a stop to it,” Tucker refuted.

“Tucker’s right. If I want to put an end to how they treat us, I need to really stick it to them.”

Sam rose, displeasure reflected in his violet orbs. “Well, I’m not gonna stand for this.”

“Uh, you just did,” Tucker commented.

“Whatever! I’m not going to participate in this scheme of yours. If you need me, I’ll be in the cafeteria, **not** pantsing Kwan. Come talk to me when you’ve regained your common sense.”

With that, the goth departed. Dani stared at the door for a brief moment, then looked down into her lap.

“You know, maybe he’s right,” she sighed.

“What? Come on, think about it; Dash and the others will never know what hit them, and they’ll be just as anxious as we are now! It’ll be hilarious!”

“Will it, though? If we laugh at their pain, then **are** we any better than them? I don’t find that particularly funny, do you?”

The computer geek furrowed her brow. “But they deserve it!”

Dani turned to her friend with conflicted eyes.

“I’m not saying they don’t. But who are we to judge what they do and don’t deserve? Who are we to carry out that judgement?”

“But you’re Dani Phantom! You have ghost powers! You’re far more unique than them! You’re better than them!”

“Yeah, but I won’t be if I stoop to their level,” the young heroine stated. “Sam was right. I can’t do it. I shouldn’t do it.”

Tucker sighed and relaxed her shoulders, which had been hunched during their conversation.

“Fine. I just don’t want Dash and the others to keep getting away with what they’re doing. He and Kwan really hurt you this morning; trashing your phone like that. They purposely broke your last one, remember? And if memory serves, your folks weren’t too happy about buying you a new one.”

_It’s not just the phone, Tucker, but the text that was on it._

The young half ghost flopped back down onto her cot, her back hitting the soft sheets. But it wasn’t just the text, either. It was what she was called; a gold digger, a hussy. Dani knew the stereotypes, she knew what the general public thought of girls that were attracted to older men. And true, Dash and Kwan had no way of really knowing if Vlad was older than her, but the insults still stung. It had felt like she had been punched in the gut, or injected with searing hot poison. Even now, hours later, those remarks inspired doubts that nearly caused the floodgates to burst. What if she really was a hussy? Why **was** she attracted to older guys in the first place? Why had she fallen in love with Vlad? Was it simply because he was older?

_No! I fell for him because he’s kind, considerate, and incredibly sweet. He’s intelligent, helpful, a half ghost like me, and---_

_Loaded._

_So?_

_He’s rich. Really rich. Doesn’t that mean I’m a gold digger after all?_

_No! I don’t care about his wealth! I never even thought about it._

_So it doesn’t matter if he suddenly lost it all?_

_If he did, then I would be right at his side, helping in any way I could._

Suddenly, Dani felt that all too familiar burning deep within her core. She gasped and gripped the sheets tight. She bit her lip, so as to not alert Tucker to her present condition. The young girl didn’t want her friend to see her like this; so vulnerable.

 Her insides felt like boiling magma and her blood lava. Heat radiated off her skin, turning her a deep shade of pink. Her face was as flushed as an embarrassed lobster. Dani clenched her teeth, letting out quiet grunts. It was as if “The Need” knew that Vlad wasn’t nearby, thus the increased intensity of the burning. She desired Vlad; to be near him, to hear his voice, to be held in his strong arms…to kiss him.

_Argh! Its too hot! Its so hot in here!!_

Dani started taking shallow breaths, barely breathing in any air (or at least, it felt that way). Her hazy baby blues looked at the windows, beckoning them to spontaneous open so that she may feel the cool autumn breeze. She also found her throat was dry and her lips chapped. The young heroine licked them, and bit them once more. Then, she started to tremble. The young teenager felt weak all over, heavy. She tried to sit up, but her head felt like it weighed several tons. As soon as she hit the pillow again, she felt dizzy.

Her body’s craving was driving her mad. She needed to get to him, she needed to see him, needed to hear him, feel him.

NOW.

_I can’t take this anymore! Vlad! Help me! Please! It hurts so much!!_

She was scared, for “The Need” was dominating every corner of her brain. She could barely make out her own coherent thoughts anymore. It was like she was nothing but an animal; a being run by instinct alone. And the pain definitely didn’t help matters.

“You know Dani, maybe you’re right. Maybe revenge isn’t the best way to get back at someone. I mean, that’s when getting older will come in, right? You, Sam, and me will have awesome careers and then Dash and the others will be working for **us**. Or better yet, they’ll be burn outs. I guess Sam was saying that we should let Karma handle it, rather than do it ourselves, right Dani?”

The young heroine barley heard her friend over the indignant voice screaming in her head. The urge, impulse, **desire** was overwhelming her senses, and Dani feared that soon she would be unable to control herself. Then she thought that perhaps, if she dove deep into her sub conscious again, she may be able to recover her fading sanity.

“Uh, Dani, did you hear me?”

“Y-yes!” the heroine responded with a shaky breath.

“Anyway, we should go meet with Sam in cafeteria. Even from here, I can smell the corn dogs!” the geek enthused. “They’re calling to me.”

Dani felt a sudden pulse in her core and let out a whine. Immediately after, she clamped a warm hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

_What the heck was that?? Why did I make that sound??_

She shifted in her cot, feeling the softness of the sheets caress her exposed skin. When she laid back down earlier, her shirt rode up her back. The delicate touch of the fabric tickled her lower back, sending a chill down her spine. As a result, she released another tiny moan.

“Dani, are you O.K.?” Tucker asked, looking over at her friend.

“Yeah yeah! I’m good! My noise just---hurts.”

“Whoa dude, you’re really red. Do you have a fever?”

“What? Nah, I’m fine!” the ghost girl insisted, sitting up. “Come on, lets to go lunch, then.”

“Hold up, you seriously don’t look good,” Tucker interjected, stopping Dani. When she placed her hand on the heroine’s arm, Tucker’s eyes widened and her eyebrows rose.

“Holy cow man! You’re a radiator!”

Dani had flinched from Tucker’s contact. “I’m O.K., really,” she laughed nervously.

“Dude, you’re practically on fire. I’m getting the Nurse back in here.”

The geek got off her bed, flung the icepack onto the sheets, and strolled to the door. The ghost girl, panicked, reached out for her friend.

“No Tuck! I’m O.K.! It’s just really hot in here!”

Tucker turned around. “I’m not hot. And the thermostat says it’s 67 degrees in here.” 

“Well, that’s hot for a half ghost! Please Tucker, don’t get the Nurse. I don’t want to waste her time!”

The computer geek rose an eyebrow. “But you look terrible. Somethings not right with you, dude.”

Dani didn’t know what to do; she was backed into a corner. Should she tell Tucker what was really going on? Should she wait for the Nurse to deliver a wrongful diagnosis? Although, perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. If she concluded she had a fever, the Nurse would order Dani to go home, and then her parents would look after her, watch her…give her a comically big spoonful of medicine…

_O.K., not a good idea._

“Alright Tucker, here’s the deal,” she panted. The heat in her body continued to rise, threatening to boil her alive. “This is something I’ve been calling “The Need”; it’s that weird nagging I told you about. This happens sometimes, actually, this is the third time its happened.”

The geek walked back over to Dani, interest in her turquoise orbs.

“You mean that desire you had that you couldn’t place? That thing that distracted you?”

“Yeah. Before, if I thought about it too much, **this** would happen. Now, it’s just random. And I think it’s getting worse. It hurts…a lot.”

“Hurts?”

“Like a burning. It feels like I’m sweltering…burning…from the inside out,” Dani said in between shallow breaths.

Tucker sat on the bed. “Is this a ghost thing?”

“I…I don’t know…”

“Have you been able to figure it out?” the geek asked, growing concerned.

_Yes._

“No…”

“Well, what should I do? **Is** there something I can do?”

The ghost girl looked her friend in the eye. She understood her worry. After all, she **saw** it in her orbs. But she didn’t have an answer.

“I’m not sure…I don’t think so…I usually just…wait it out…”

“That’s it? But you look like the **definition** of discomfort! There has to be something! Maybe I can open the window for you?”

The half ghost hero smiled. “Try that, please.”

And the computer geek did just that. She walked over to the window and pushed the pane out, letting in the chilled air. Since Dani and Tucker’s beds were closet to the windows, they felt the breeze in all its glory. The young teenager felt the gentle wind touch her heated skin. It was a relief, to be sure, but not a perfect cure.

None the less, she sat up, doing her darndest to stand up completely. Tucker went over to help, and together, Dani was able to rise from the bed. Tucker noted, however, how moist the young heroine’s back was.

“Dude, you’re drenched.”

“I have a hoodie in my gym locker, I can wear that over my shirt.”

“You sure you wanna put on something smothering?”

“It’s fine.”

With a nod, Tucker helped Dani out of the Nurse’s Office and down the hall. The geek’s arm was slung over the young heroine’s shoulders, guiding her through while also providing support. Dani couldn’t remember the last time she needed to be led in such a way. There was a time when she was 10 when she had fallen off her bike, and both Tucker and Sam helped her back into her house, but the memory was a little fuzzy.

_Although, that may have something to do with me hitting my head on the concrete._

She was about to ask Tucker about it, in order to have a good laugh, but then she felt a surge of heat flood her body. She groaned, and her legs gave out, nearly taking the computer geek to the ground as well.

 “Whoa! Dani, you O.K.?!”

“Y-yeah…” the heroine panted in response. Then she gripped Tucker’s blouse, pulling herself up as much as she could. “Please…I need…”

“Need what? I’ve got you, whatever you need, Dani.”

_Holy crap, I almost said something **totally** embarrassing!!! _

“I need…my hoodie…”

“No way, man. You need a **freezer**.”

Then the young heroine looked up, realizing they were right in front of the cafeteria. Perhaps she could cool down in the freezer in the kitchen?

“M-maybe you’re right. But this usually just…passes.”

“I don’t think it’s passing dude. You’re getting warmer by the minute. You’ll faint at this rate!”

Tucker took a step, but then the cafeteria door swung open, nearly knocking the two friends down.

“Ow! Again with the face!” Tucker exclaimed.

Dani’s vision was starting to blur, but she could make out the colors of Casper High’s varsity jackets, as well as the forms that wore them.

_Uh no…_

Dash, Kwan, Jerome, and two other jocks sneered down at the girls. Kwan crossed his arms while Jerome places his hands on his hips.

“You just can’t watch where you’re going, can you Fentuliet?” Dash goaded.

“Looks like she can’t do much of anything,” Jerome remarked with a smug expression. “I guess you really did a number on her during gym.”

Tucker helped Dani stand and glared at the arrogant teenagers. “Leave her alone!”

“Hey, what’s up with her, anyway? She looks really red,” Kwan noted.

“She’s not feeling well. It may be contagious,” Tucker warned with a smirk.

 “Ew! Nerd germs!” Jerome yelled in mock fright, then proceeded to laugh. The others joined in, much to Tucker and Dani’s discontent.

Then Dash looked Dani up and down, and noticed something that grabbed his attention. His eyes went wide, and he started snickering. Tucker, thoroughly annoyed, pushed past the jocks and led Dani into the cafeteria. The young heroine herself could barely comprehend anything anymore. She knew she was moving forward, but now she wasn’t so sure where. She could hear muddled voices and the clinks of plastic silverware, so she assumed she was in the lunch room.

_At least I’m not as dizzy anymore, but I can’t remember why we’re here anymore…wasn’t I going to get my hoodie from the locker room?_

Suddenly Paulina’s voice could be heard from the other end of the cafeteria.

“Hey, Fenton, a little hot in here for you?”

Tucker stopped, eyeballing the popular kids’ table. Dani lifted her heavy head up, also attempting to home in on the group.

“Uh, is that her bra?” Star remarked with slight disgust.

Then Dani looked down, noticing just how much she had perspired. Her gym shirt was clinging to her small form, drawing attention to the outline of her breasts, as well as the black bra she wore. To make matters even worse; her nipples were clearly visible.

“AH!” Dani yelped in utter panic as she concealed her chest with her arms.  

Dash and his friends clambered back into the room, with the blonde jock pointing a corybantic finger directly at Dani.

“Hey everyone! Dani Fenton’s showing herself to us! She’s a hussy!”

Immediately, everyone in the room turned and looked at Dani. They all started to laugh; the collection of voices sounding like a bellow. The popular kids pointed and scorned as well, wearing sinister expressions on their faces.

“Have some self-restraint, Fenton!” Star jeered.

“Don’t you have any shame?” Valerie called out.

“I never realized how **desperate** you were, Dani,” Paulina reproached.

“I guess she misses her sugar daddy!” Dash yelled over the roar of the lunch room.

All at once, the laughter stopped, and now students were whispering and sharing glances. One girl asked: “Dani Fenton has a sugar daddy?” Another said: “I heard Dash called her a ‘gold digger’ this morning, so maybe its true?”

Sam, who had been enjoying his home-made tofu dog before all the commotion, mirrored a gaping fish. His violet eyes were wide in horror and his mouth hung open. He quickly jumped from his seat and rushed over to his friends. He tore off the black trench coat he had over his shoulders and held it in front of Dani. The ghost girl grabbed it and covered her entire front with it, clutching the fabric with trembling hands.

“Hey Fenton!” Jerome shouted. “Maybe your sugar daddy can buy you some self-respect, along with a new phone!”

Once again, the hall echoed with the amusement of the Casper High student body. Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors alike partook in the demeaning of their fellow peer. They pointed, stared, laughed, snickered, mocked, degraded, with another random girl adding: “Now I need to get new bras. I don’t want to wear the same kind as **Fenton**.”    

Tucker turned and with Sam in toe, booked it out of the cafeteria through one of the side doors. Once outside, Sam regarded the wounded young girl.

“Are you O.K., Dani?”

“Dude, she just got humiliated in front of the whole school! How do you think she feels?”

Dani held the trench coat close to her body, and proceeded to sob into her fists. At last, “The Need” had subsided, but was replaced by absolute despair. Her reputation on campus wasn’t the best one, sure, but at least she wasn’t the resident “slut”. There was a certain security in being just another loser, another dweeb. Being such meant she was only a target of the bullies, but now; she would be on **everyone’s** radar.

“But I don’t understand where the ‘sugar daddy’ thing came from,” Sam mentioned.

“Me neither,” Tucker chimed in, looking at the goth. “I’ve never heard that being used against Dani before.”

The young heroine continued to cry her mortified tears, not knowing how her friends would take the explanation. Would she have to come clean about her feelings after all? Could she just chalk it up to a misunderstanding on Dash’s part? Either way, she had neither the strength or confidence to do anything, so she stood there in the courtyard, releasing her liquid sorrow as her only friends watched in anguish.  


	2. Chapter 2

Sam held his English book under his arm as he made his way to class, mind buzzing. Lunch had just ended, and everyone was expected to head to class, but one of his best friends was mysteriously absent from the halls. Was she crying in the bathroom? Had she changed into Dani Phantom and flown home? Not that the goth would blame her if she did. Perhaps she decided to get even with her abusers?

Sam hoped not.

After all, she **had** changed her mind back in the Nurse’s Office; she seemed so bent on revenge, but according to Tucker, Dani realized the error of her thinking, even going so far as to convince **her** that vengeance wasn’t the way forward.

The goth turned a corner and meandered passed the band room. He heard the sounds of flat notes and terribly off-key cords. Wincing at the sound, he picked up his pace. But, something out of the corner of his vision grabbed his attention.

Stopping, Sam turned his head over his shoulder and eyed locker 724; the haunted locker. There was a tale to this particular locker, one that Sam never believed, until he found out that ghosts were, in fact, real. He turned fully to the locker, scrutinizing it with somewhat skeptical eyes.

Many students feared walking by it, namely the unpopular kids and the believers in the occult. The popular kids, like the cheerleaders and the jocks, didn’t care too much for the story. They ignored the superstitions behind the locker, and some even dared to awaken the wrath of the spirit within. Then Sam recalled the time one of Dash’s brood picked on a shy underclassman, right in front of locker 724. The end result wasn’t pretty; that jock was sent to the hospital for what was dubbed a clumsy fall down the stairs.

The guy was on the basketball team. He wasn’t clumsy.

The students of Casper High, the wise ones anyway, knew what happened that day. Rather than falling down those stairs, that jock was **pushed**.

Sam shuddered. He didn’t like thinking about the ghost in locker 724. So, he continued his way to Lancer’s class. Today was the day they were going over Hamlet, and Sam didn’t intend to miss it. Though there weren’t many things he liked, Shakespeare was oddly one of the things he did.

Walking down another hall, the goth reached Lancer’s classroom, but when he opened the door, he found Star and a few of her friends standing on their desks, shaking. Mr. Lancer was trying to get them to come down, and the other students were laughing.

_What the heck?_

“Now, see here you four, get down from your desks, right this second!” Lancer commanded.

“I’m not touching that floor!” one cried.

“It’ll grab us again!” remarked another.

“What will? I don’t see anything,” Lancer stated, growing ever more impatient.

The goth peered under their desks too, and also saw nothing. He narrowed his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of **something** , but then a collision from behind him disrupted his concentration.

“Sorry Sam! I should’ve been looking where I was going,” Tucker apologized, PDA in hand.

“Tucker…weren’t you with Dani?”

“Yeah, but then she asked to be alone, so I took her to the bathroom and she stayed in one of the stalls.”

The goth glanced back at the cheerleaders’ desks, still not seeing a thing under them.

“So, in other words, if Dani decided to get even with the popular kids after all, you’d have no way of knowing?”

“That would be a ‘no’,” the computer geek replied matter-of-factly.

Sam let out an agitated breath and marched over to his own desk. He sat near the back of the room, behind Tucker, who sat to the left of Dani. Following his lead, Tucker strolled to her desk, not understanding the reason for Sam’s sudden change in attitude.

Mr. Lancer slapped his forehead, clearly fed up with his hysterical students. The girls, still refusing to sit down, watched the floor with anxious eyes. Suddenly, Star cried out, rather loudly, and complained that her hair was pulled. Then one of the others screamed; she claimed that someone spilled water all over her new blouse. When Sam turned around, he noticed that, indeed, the girl’s shirt was adequately soaked. Now, everyone in the room was cracking up; some kids were laughing so hard they were holding their sides.

“That’s enough!” Mr. Lancer reprimanded. “You girls are to head straight for the Principal’s Office, and later I’m going to give you all detention for disrupting my class.” 

“Fine, whatever!” Star cried. “Anything to get us outta this freaky classroom!”

The cheerleaders leaped off their desks, and booked it from the room; their tails between their legs. After several minutes, Lancer was able to regain control of his students, and started his lesson. Then, right next to Tucker, Dani appeared, sitting in her desk. Though Sam couldn’t see her whole face, he could just **sense** the smirk playing at her lips. At one point, he could have sworn he heard her snicker.

Once the lesson was over, the bell rang, alerting the students that their mandatory suffering was almost over. With just one class to go, everyone launched from their seats and trekked to whatever class they ended their day with. For Sam, Tucker, and Dani, this was biology.

As they walked down the hall to the biology lab, Sam grabbed the young heroine by the shoulder and forcibly turned her around.

“I thought you’d given up on revenge?”

“That sounds like a leading question, Sam.”

“Don’t get cute with me, Dani! I honestly excepted better.”

“Aww, you think Dani’s cute?” Tucker asked genuinely.

“What? No! I mean---that’s not the point here! Dani, don’t you realize what you’ve started? Soon, you’ll be just like them; a bully.”

The ghost girl scowled. “I don’t care anymore. I’m better than them, Sam. It’s not like I’m scaring innocent people.”

The goth shook his head in disappointment. “I just can’t believe you. I can’t believe you’d actually become someone like this.”

“Like what? Someone who’s finally standing up to those guys?”

“‘Cept you’re **not** standing up to them! You’re hiding behind your powers; staying visible and poking and prodding from the shadows!”

The computer geek offered a playful grin. “But you’ve gotta admit; seeing Star and the other cheerleaders scream like that was pretty hilarious.”

“No it wasn’t! They were genuinely terrified!”

“I know!” Tucker exclaimed with much enthusiasm. “‘Ah! My shirt is all wet! But I spent like, all my daddy’s money on it!’” she said, mocking one of the cheerleaders.

Dani and Tucker laughed, with the former holding her gut. Sam crossed his arms in disapproval. None the less, the two girls continued in their merriment, leaving the goth to roll his eyes and walk away. In a huff, he opened his locker and grabbed his biology book, then proceeded to slam his locker door, startling his friends. As he stomped off toward the lab, Tucker turned to Dani.

“He needs to take a chill pill. What you did back there was awesome!”

“Thanks Tuck, but I’m not done yet,” the young half ghost stated with a questionable grin.

Dani turned invisible once more, and sauntered over to the classroom, phasing through the door. Tucker, electing to act like nothing was out of the ordinary, strolled to the door and entered the room as well. The class was made up of three-person desks that required stools for seating. Each table was equipped with beakers and test tubes, as well as charts and worksheets. In addition, the desks were arranged in two vertical rows, with five in each. In the front of the well-lit room sat the teacher’s desk, which was only a slightly wider version of the other desks. The teacher herself was writing on the board, mapping out the day’s lesson on the complexities of plant cells.

Tucker took her place next to Sam, at the desk second from the front of the room, on the side of the door. The stool in between them, of course, remained empty. Sitting directly across from them was Paulina, Valerie Gray, and another popular girl. They were all texting on their phones, waiting for class to begin. Sam was never found of these types of girls; the ones that oozed with entitlement and ignorance. They also never tended to be too bright, with the exception of Valerie; she was a straight A student who was destined to be valedictorian of their grade. This didn’t save her however, from Sam’s judgments. She was rotten to the core, much like Paulina, and incredibly shallow. And since her father worked for Axion Labs, she was rolling in the dough. She couldn’t appreciate the suffering of those less fortunate, just like all the other popular girls.

Just because she was smarter didn’t make her better.

The biology teacher turned around and addressed the class, signifying Paulina and her friends to put their phones away, lest they be taken. 15 minutes into the lesson, Sam didn’t notice anything strange going on. The room was quiet as the teacher gave her lecture, the popular girls were undisturbed, and no one was bellowing with laughter. Perhaps Dani had given up?

_No. She’s just waiting for something. Waiting for the right moment to strike._

Tucker, who was fonder of the technological sciences than the natural ones, mirrored a piece of roadkill; her eyes appeared empty and she lay flat on the desk from the chest up. Even her mouth was open.

“I hope Dani hurries up. I’m dying over here,” she whispered.

“She’s hardly doing this for your amusement, Tucker,” Sam whispered back, venom in his voice.

The goth rested his chin on his fist and watched the teacher with little interest. He didn’t much care for biology either, but he’d be soaked in sewer muck before he failed a class simply because he was too bored to pay attention.

 For another 5 minutes, nothing happened. But then the girl sitting to Paulina’s right shrieked. The teacher turned from the board and all the students looked in the girl’s direction. Tucker’s head shot up quicker than one could say “there’s a ghost in the room”, and Sam gingerly glanced at the popular girls.

Paulina and Valerie looked effectively startled, staring at their friends with wide eyes.

“Is everything alright?” the teacher asked.

“I just---I thought something---someone blew into my ear,” the girl tried to explain.

“Well, perhaps you imagined it,” the teacher surmised.

“Yeah…I guess so.”

Sam rolled his eyes again. He couldn’t fathom why Dani would do something like this, knowing full well it was wrong. Didn’t she see how this whole thing madd her look? Couldn’t she understand that this made her no different than the ones she was tormenting?

Then it was Valerie’s turn to scream. Once again, everyone looked at the table with curiosity and, in the teacher’s case, growing annoyance.

“I---there---it was---”

“What is it, Ms. Gray?”

Tucker leaned over, following Sam’s gaze, and saw how stunned Valerie was; the girl looked like a stuttering mess. Her eyes were wide in fright and she held her hands up, staring at her lap.

“I thought I saw someone---eyes---green eyes, just **staring** at me.”

 _She must have glanced down at the right moment_ , thought the goth.

 Chuckles filled the room, and thus Valerie shot her head back. “Its true! I saw it!”

“Alright, alright. We’ll have no more of this. Ms. Gray, you and your friend will remain silent until the end of the period. Do I make myself clear?”

Before the two could respond, Paulina let out a scream so loud one could’ve mistaken her for a teen actor in a horror movie. Of course, her outburst was well earned, for her makeup bag had spilled it contents all over her side of the table. Her nail polish leaked onto her textbook and was seeping into the pages, while her eyeliner was floating in the air, scribbling all over Paulina’s face. She continued to screech as Valerie and their other friend watched in terror.

Everyone else in the class was quiet, staring with a mixture of fascination and building alarm. Would one of them be next?

Then the eyeliner fell atop the desk, emitting a small clink as it made impact with the metallic surface. Paulina’s face looked like a fourth grader had taken a black marker to it. Thin lines traced her cheekbones and then split in several directions, almost resembling a map of hiking trails. With quivering hands, Paulina picked up the hand mirror that had landed on her desk when her makeup bag was fiddled with. She lifted the glass to her face and saw the result of her otherworldly encounter.

She cried out again, only much louder, with tears licking the corners of her eyes. One kid, who had seen Paulina’s reflection in the mirror, started laughing. Soon, the entire class was in on the joke.

Valerie and the third girl tried to calm Paulina down, but it was all in vain.

Eventually, the teacher was able to cease the class’s boisterous tones, and walked over to the popular girls. She told them, in a calm voice, to go to the bathroom so Paulina could clean up, and maybe take a breather all together. The three acknowledged their teacher’s advice, and scrambled out of the classroom.

After they left, the teacher gave a new lecture; one that the students were none too excited to have.

 

********

 

Tucker and Sam headed for their lockers which were only separated by two others on each side. The goth opened his locker with a heavy sigh, one saturated with displeasure, and Tucker whistled as she opened hers. Placing her biology and history books into the locker, the computer geek glanced over at her goth friend as he shoved his own texts into his.

“Why the long face, Sam? We don’t have science or history homework, so we can have more time to relax today. Maybe we can go over to your place and play some video games?”

“Funny, I thought you were present in class, or did you **not** see what Dani did to those kids today?”

Tucker threw her hands up in defense. “Whoa Sam, chill out. What’s the harm in a little pay back?”

“How many times do we have to go over this?” the goth lamented.

Then Dani came strutting down the hallway, her face gratified. She reached Tucker’s side and offered a toothy grin.

“Proud of yourself?” Sam asked sarcastically. “Are you done yet?”

“Not quite,” the ghost girl replied in earnest. “I need to find Dash and Kwan.”

The goth let out yet another sigh, fearing that he may have emitted a year’s worth of carbon dioxide in just one day. Tucker clasped her hands together and rubbed them feverishly. 

“So, what’s next on the agenda? Wedgey? Swirly? Overshadowing?”

“I haven’t decided yet. But whatever it is, it’s gonna be **big**.”

“I like your ambition, Ms. Fenton,” Tucker responded with glee.

“Well I don’t,” Sam began, crossing his arms. “Dani, I hate seeing you act like this. You’re better than this, I know you are.”

“Yeah, and that’s exactly why I’m doing this. I’m standing up for the ‘little guy’. This isn’t just about me, Sam. I’m doing this for everyone who has ever been bullied by Dash and the others.”

“That’s not how I see it,” Sam interjected. “And I doubt the other nerds and geeks see it that way, either.”

Just then, Dash and Kwan sauntered passed, with the former shoving Sam into the lockers as they went. Their laughter faded as they did, disappearing down the hall and around the corner.

“So, how does this nerd feel **now**?” Tucker inquired.

“I know I how **I** feel,” Dani started, her eyes flashing ectoplasmic green.

“Dani, stop,” the goth implored as he got himself together. “It’s not worth it. **They’re** not worth it.”

The young heroine balled her hands into fists and turned invisible, marching after the insensitive jocks. Sam, with a determined expression, grabbed Tucker by the arm and followed after their unseen friend.

“Whoa whoa! What’s up?” the geek asked.

“We’re putting a stop to this, **right now** ,” Sam responded without looking at Tucker.

The goth dragged his friend to the fork in the hall and tracked Dash and Kwan to the band room, where they were harassing some of the band geeks. Dash had taken a boy’s back pack and was dumping the contents on the floor. Kwan was mocking a tuba player for his braces, and then pushed a flute player to the ground. Apparently, her blissful smile indicated that she needed to be brought back down to earth; that whoever it was she liked wouldn’t notice a freak like her in the first place.

Though Sam’s blood boiled at the sight, he did nothing. Rather, he watched and waited for Dani, who was no doubt hovering at the ceiling or drifting close by. Meanwhile. Tucker was trying to pry herself free from Sam’s iron grip, but to no avail.

“Dude! Let go!”

The goth’s purple eyes scanned the area, but seeing as he didn’t possess supernatural sight, he couldn’t pick up on the young heroine’s location.

“You’d better stop it, or Sidney Poindexter will throw **you two** down some stairs!” the tuba player cautioned.

Dash and Kwan looked at one another, and then the latter barked in the kid’s face.

“Right. ‘Cause I’m sooo scared of some wimp named ‘Poindexter’!”

“Ooooo, I’m terrified!” Dash squealed in mock fright.

They bellowed with mirth and slapped each other’s shoulders. The flute player sat up and scowled at the jocks.

“Its true! He’ll get you for hurting us, perturbing us!”

Dash eyed the girl and kicked her bag across the floor. “Nice try loser, but there ain’t so such thing. ‘Sidney Poindexter’ is just a stupid myth you freaks like to tell yourselves is real.”

“Does it help you sleep better at night, telling yourself he exists?” Kwan teased.

“But he does!” Tucker yelled. “And he’ll kick the tar outta you for bullying these guys, and everyone else, too!”

“Tucker!” Sam warned through gritted teeth.

“What? Let everyone think Dani is Poindexter; that way, Dash and the others will finally stop harassing us. They’ll be way too spooked to try anything ever again!”

At that moment, Kwan’s varsity jacket was pulled over his head by an unseen force, which then yanked and pulled and jock around in circles. The band geeks watched in surprise as Dash stood still in bewilderment. Kwan cried out, requesting his friend’s aid, only to be met with cheering from the band geeks and silence from Dash. All four of the band members hailed the invisible force on, saying things akin to: “Get ‘em, Poindexter!” and “Give him a wedgey!”

Then Kwan was lifted a few feet off the ground and began twirling in the air. His calls for help remained unanswered as he spun faster and faster; turning his cheeks an unhealthy shade of green. To the on lookers, he reminded them of a comic book character, given how cartoonish the whole display looked.

Suddenly, however, Kwan stopped, allowing the jock to groan like a wounded animal. Then he was tossed down the hall, flying right past locker 724. He hit the floor in his stomach, which knocked all the air out of him.

“What the heck?!” Dash exclaimed as the band geeks laughed hysterically. “Poindexter was supposed to be a fake!”

“Looks like they seem pretty happy, wouldn’t you agree, Sam?” Tucker asked smirking.

The goth merely growled in response.

“Screw this! I’m outta here!” Dash shouted, booking it in the opposite direction of Kwan. But the blonde football player was stopped in his tracks, abruptly, when something grabbed the back of his jacket. He yelped, and before everyone’s eyes, was flung unto the floor. He tried to crawl away, but the invisible force appeared to seize his ankles and dragged him across the floor.

“AHHHH! No! Stop! Please!”

One of the band geeks whistled as Dash ascended to the ceiling by his feet. Terror and confusion painted the jock’s features, and then he started begging the unseen force to let him go. This, of course, was not taken well; Dash began to swing back and forth at an impressive speed. Suddenly Kwan, who had picked himself off the floor, challenged the supposed “Sidney Poindexter”.

“Hey! Let my friend go or I’ll smash your invisible face in!”

Dani, who had managed to hold back her laughter this whole time, couldn’t help but chuckle at the declaration.

_Really? How can you “smash my face in” when you can’t even see me?_

To show that she called Kwan’s bluff, the young half ghost swung Dash even faster. The jock watched helplessly as Dash rocked to and fro with the rate of a Swing ride on steroids.  Then, without warning, the young heroine released the blonde teenager, sending him flying into Kwan. They both hit the ground with a resounding “thud”, with Dash lying on top of his friend.

The bands geeks laughter increased, reminding Dani of the victims of the Joker’s poison gas. The young half ghost hovered behind Sam and Tucker, using them as cover as she became visible again. She watched as Kwan and Dash clambered to their feet and race down the hall and out of sight.

Once the band geeks departed, Dani walked over to her locker, satisfaction plastered on her youthful face. Tucker followed suit, and Sam trailed after, finally releasing the computer geek.

“Holy crap that was awesome! Did you see their faces?” Tucker exclaimed with mirth.

“How could I not? I was right there,” Dani reminded her friend with a grin. She began entering her locker combination when Sam addressed her.

“Well, I hope you’re happy. I hope your willing to except whatever consequences come from this.”

“What consequences? Nobody saw her. And besides, they’re all gonna think it was Sidney Poindexter,” Tucker stated.

“Exactly,” the young heroine began, jerking her new locker open. “Its virtually fool proof; using the legend of Sidney Poindexter as a cover is perfect! And since I have ghost powers, there’s no reason for anyone to think otherwise. Ya know, I should have done this months ago!”

Unexpectedly, a transparent green mist began pouring from the mirror in Dani’s locker. It surrounded the immediate area like a fog, casting the hallway in a blanket of dark green light. The mist hung low to the ground, collecting around the trio’s feet. Accompanying the eerie haze was a low, haunting moan; one that resonated in Sam, Tucker, and Dani’s ears. All three shuddered, with Tucker hugging herself.

“What the heck is going on?”

“No idea, but it’s definitely ghost related,” the young heroine concluded as she pointed to her mouth.

Her ghost sense was going off.

“I’m going ghost!”

Twin white rings appeared at her abdomen and soon she was Dani Phantom once more. A strong gust of wind blew from the locker then, causing the door to violently hit the wall and shake as it settled. The squall also stirred the trio’s hair, causing Dani’s snowy locks and Sam and Tucker’s raven tresses to dance in the unnatural gust.

“ ** _Buulllliiiiiiies_** ,” an unnerving voice breathed from within the locker.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Dani called over the roar of the forceful wind. 

 “ ** _Buulllliiiiiiies_** ,” the voice echoed again.

“O.K. then, let’s try this,” the young half ghost muttered, pulling back her arms and summoning a ball of ectoplasmic energy. She threw the sphere of energy, which landed square on the glass of the mirror, but the attack bounced off and flew back at Dani, hitting her in the eye. She yapped and then held a gloved hand over her injured eye.

“Well, so much for that,” Tucker noted.

 “ ** _Buulllliiiiiiies_**!!” the disembodied voice bellowed ominously. Suddenly, the fog tangled around the young heroine; snaking around her delicate form until it sufficiently trapped her in its otherworldly clutches. She was bound so tight her arms appeared to be glued to her sides.

“Dani!” Sam cried.

The two tried to free the young half ghost, but neither Tucker or Sam could pull her out of the green mist’s hold.

 “ ** _BUULLLLIIIIIIIES_**!!”

The mist tightened its grip, with Dani thrashing and attempting to manifest more energy. Though her ectoplasmic aura **did** seep from her fists, she found the strength to completely produce an energy blast eluding her.

“Sam! Do something!” Tucker implored anxiously.

“I’m trying!” the goth fired back.

“Whatever you’re gonna do, do it fast!” the half ghost hero suggested, her growing apprehension evident in her voice.

Then, before any of them had time to react, the ghostly fog wrenched Dani forward, putting much strain on her body; the sensation felt akin to a rope burn. The heroine, however, planted her feet firmly on the floor, postponing the mist’s efforts. Tucker and Sam tried, once again, to release Dani, but when they touched the haze their hands merely passed right through. The goth let out a frustrated growl and Tucker fixed her foot to Dani’s left side, grabbed her arm, and pulled as hard as her underdeveloped body would allow.

The mist yanked Dani forward again, decreasing the distance between her and the locker.

“Uh, guys? Hurry up!” she beseeched.

The moaning returned, sending almost painful chills up both Tucker and Sam’s spines. As a result, the computer geek’s grip on the young heroine’s arm loosened, and with one more powerful tug, Tucker was thrown to the ground as Dani was pulled inside the locker; into the mirror.

“DANI!!!!” Sam cried.

“Dani!!” Tucker yelled.

Locker 724 slammed its door shut, and green fog faded instantaneously, leaving not a trace behind. The dark light which had illuminated the hallway disappeared as well, returning everything to how it was previously.

The goth tried prying open the locker, but to little avail. Then he eyeballed the combination lock.

“What was Dani’ locker combo?”

“How should I know? She just got the locker this morning!”

Sam kicked locker 724 with his grey combat boot, but when nothing happened, he cried out in irritation.

“We gotta get Dani out of there!”

“You’re preaching to the choir, Sam. How are we supposed to get her out when we couldn’t even touch that weird mist?!”

The teenaged rebel contemplated for a moment. Tucker had provided a valid point; how **were** they going to save Dani if they couldn’t interact with the thing that took her in the first place? They would need something that had the power to overcome the mist, as well as the source that created it. They required something that wasn’t limited by human restrictions; something that was **also** otherworldly.

_Or maybe…_

_Some **one**! _

“Tucker! When was the last time you synced your PDA with Dani’s phone?”

“About a week ago, why? Now’s hardly the time for checking Dani’s schedule.”

“So you have all her contacts, right?”

“Uh…I should,” the computer geek realized. She pulled out her PDA and brought up the home screen. From there, she opened her contacts and sure enough, the young half ghost’s were listed there, along with Tucker’s.

“Who’re we calling?”

“The only person who can help Dani now.”

_Even if it frustrates me to admit it._

Tucker clicked on the certain contact with her stylus, and after a few rings, a steady voice came through the PDA’s speaker.

“Vlad Masters.”

“Vlad! We need your help! Its Dani!” Tucker intreated.

“Ms. Foley? What happened? Is Danielle alright?”

“We don’t know. She just got dragged into her locker by this weird mist and---”

“Sidney Poindexter,” Sam stated, realization oozing from his tone.

“Pardon?” Vlad inquired.

“Nevermind! Just hurry and get to Casper High, we need you; Dani needs you!” the goth declared, no matter how much the words burned in his throat.

_Now’s not the time for my wounded pride. Not matter how much I distrust Vlad, he’s the best shot we have._

“Very well, I’m on my way. Don’t move until I arrive,” the billionaire ordered.

“Got it,” Tucker replied. “Please hurry!”

Then a click was heard from the speaker, telling the two friends Vlad had hung up. Since it was after school, students would be expected to leave campus and head home, but Tucker and Sam had no intention to disobeying Vlad’s command. Dani was in trouble, and nothing was going to get in their way; Casper High’s faculty would have to drag them off school grounds before they left their best friend behind.   


	3. Chapter 3

Grey greeted the young heroine’s eyes, coating the halls, floor, and ceiling in a never-ending conformity. With only varying shades of the lifeless color providing diversity, a hollow feeling impregnated the space. It was as if life itself had been drained from this realm, which Dani understood to be an odd thought. Ghosts were the antithesis of vitality, after all, but it wasn’t abnormal for the spectral beings---as well as regions of the Ghost Zone---to **echo** life. But this, this vacant gallery, resembled neither life nor its echoes; it was **dead**.

But this did not frighten the young half ghost. Rather, it was the realization that this hall bore a likeness to the hall she was previously in---that inspired her unease. The lockers sat upon the wall in the same places as her school’s own, and the classroom doors were situated exactly where the ones at Casper High would be.

However, this is where the similarities ended.

Adorning the hallway were posters; flyers for events that Dani did not recognize. One of which advertised a fundraiser to buy better textbooks for students. The flyer promised freshly made egg creams, priced at 50 cents per glass, as a “Fun and Refreshing” way to attain the modest goal of several hundred books.

_What the heck is an egg cream?_

In addition to foreign flyers, a great banner hung from the ceiling, with the words “Congratulations Class of 1955” sprawled across its linen surface. Naturally, this stimulated an inquiry within the teenager; Where in the bloody world was she?

Dani rose from her spot on the listless floor, the misty coils still twisted around her small form. The hall not only gave the impression that it was empty, but it was **in fact** , void; void of any kind of life---ghost or otherwise. ­­­

That was, until, the bell rang.

All at once, teenagers began pouring out of classrooms, littering the hall. They were dressed in garments Dani had only seen in black and white movies; poodle shirts, cap sleeve deena tops, and black leather mary janes decorated the girls, and tight jeans, loafers, and tucked in flannel button ups complimented the boys. None of them seemed to pay the intruder any mind, for not a one spared Dani a passing glance. Moreover, they seemed quite engaged with each other, chatting and laughing as they were.

The heroine attempted to walk, evidently forgetting her current predicament. With a yelp, she toppled back down, smashing her face on the floor.

“Ow!”

Searing pain shot through her nose as a cringe-inducing ache was felt around her eye, reminding the girl of her earlier injuries. An agitated grunt emanated from her throat as she sat up, using her knees to bring her back upward.

As her snowy tresses fell from her face, she saw a pair of legs, clad in checkered trousers, directly in front of her. Upon further inspection, the ghost girl found two shiny black loafers attached to the legs. When she followed the appendages up, Dani saw a tucked in white shirt, complete with a chest pocket (which, in of itself, came complete with a fountain pen), as well as a black bow tie. Continuing up, she was confronted with the scowling mug of a buck-toothed, acne-suffering, glassing-wearing 15-year-old. His eyes, much like the hall, were a drab shade of grey, yet somehow possessed a kindling of life; an energy one would assume was lost to this realm. However, the source of this sparkling vivacity was dark in origin. Dani could just **sense** the rage radiating from his scrawny form.

“Oh---hey there, I dunno if you can maybe help me out, but you see, I’m in a bit of pickle here, so if you could---”

“Silence, bully!” the boy chastised in a nasally voice. “I will most certainly **not** ‘help you out’! You’re here because I wished it so!”

“You? Then…you’re---!”

“Sidney Hieronymus Poindexter, indeed. Remember it well, abuser, for it will be the last name you hear.”

Dani’s bondage ignited electric pulses through her body, firing up every ectoplasmic cell with agonizing voltage. She screamed, the pain causing her to believe that her ghostly make-up was being ripped apart. Shutting her eyes, the poor thing endeavored to break free; she focused as much of her strength as she could, but the attack was zapping it all away. Much like her grey surroundings, Dani felt her power being drained from her; her ghostly energy felt like it was being sucked out through a straw.

Her gaze quickly became unfocused, as her dizziness returned, but this time it was a heavy, headache-inducing vertigo. In trying to regain her concentration, the young heroine merely made the experience even more wretched for herself.

The white rings reared their luminescent heads, and in but a moment, the girl transformed back in Dani Fenton. Though her vision was still very much impaired, the dizziness faded almost immediately, as had the spontaneous electro-shock.

“Suffering Spectral-tash!” Poindexter gasped in a near whisper. “You’re the halfa!”

“The….the what-a?” the teenaged hero uttered in confusion and lingering unawareness. The sensation reminded Dani of severe jet-lag.

“The halfa! Everyone in the Ghost Zone talks about you! You’re part human, part ghost!”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed…” the ghost girl sat up, and thankfully, the green fog vanished into the ether. Now standing, Dani brushed off her clothes and adopted a glare.

“Where is this, anyway? You said you trapped me here, so perhaps you could tell me where this is, exactly?”

Poindexter, having regained his composure, addressed the half ghost heroine: “Why, you’re at Casper High, of course. Well, the mirror version of it, anyway.”

“‘Mirror version’?” Dani repeated, raising an eyebrow.

_Well, that **would** make sense._

“That’s right, bully, and now you can’t hurt those poor kids, anymore. You won’t be able to mistreat any neglected social outcast ever again.”

“‘Poor kids’? ‘Neglected social outcasts’? We **are** talking about the same people, right? Dash, Kwan, Paulina, and the rest of them?”

The ghostly dweeb placed his hands to his hips and narrowed his eyes. Even through thick spectacles, the fire within his colorless orbs was noticeably intense, or perhaps it was **because** of the Harry Potter glasses he wore?

“All afternoon, I bore witness to what you were doing, and darn tootin’, I was going to find a way to stop you! Luckily, you happened near my locker, and I was able to drag you into my world.”

“But did you see what **they** did to me today? They should be the ones in here, not me!” the half ghost refuted, frustration painted in her features. “This morning was an absolute nightmare!”

“That’s enough of your blame-game, bully! I know what I saw! You were tormenting those boys and girls and then **blaming me** for it! You pretended to be me and tarnished my name! Well, no longer; it’s time you learned a valuable lesson in payback!”

Blackness bled into Poindexter’s round eyes, concealing the grey and white. The hall started to rumble, cracks jetting across the floor and splitting the wood, causing slivers to sail in every direction. A couple slit Dani’s face, leaving two cuts on her left cheek and one on her right. The teenager put her arms up in a guard, attempting to block the tiny terrors from inflicting any more damage. Then a rather sharp---and long---piece of shrapnel imbedded itself in the ghost girl’s arm, sticking out like a skinned protrusion. As she cried out, she struggled to make a run for it, having to fight the tremoring ground as well as the mob of students nonchalantly passing by. Were they truly blind to what was going on around them? Could they not see the school being torn apart?

With great effort, Dani bolted further down the hall, trying to pull out the glorified splinter as she went. She succeeded, however, in not only removing the piece of shrapnel but also exacting more pain to her already battered person.

_I need to go ghost again and get myself out of here!_

But when she tried to transform again, she found she was unable to do so. Poindexter’s green mist had nullified her powers for the time being, leaving the heroine defenseless. With a feeling of déjà vu, Dani groaned with irritation and apprehension. Without the ability to fight back, how was she going to escape? How would she even have to chance to escape?

_Poindexter pulled in Dani Phantom, not knowing that I was “the halfa”. He was pretty confident that he could trap me here, so would my powers even make a difference? Even if he hadn’t short circuited them, would I still have had a shot in escaping at all?_

The shaking intensified, mimicking a powerful earthquake, sending Dani colliding into the wall. Her right shoulder bore the brunt of the impact, generating a discomforted grunt from the defenseless teen. She was reminded of a similar situation she found herself in 3 months ago; where she was fighting the Box Ghost, who isn’t a threat on his own, but at the precise moment she was to suck him into the Fenton Thermos a tremendous volley of warehouse cargo struck her. This attack caused her to hit a failing support pillar, and the entire structure came crashing down. Fortunately, Tucker and Sam were unharmed, but at the end of the night, the Box Ghost couldn’t say the same.

Dani made a b-line for a partially open door, and upon entry, realized she was in the boy’s bathroom. With quick observation, she found the room to be vacant, much her to delight. One of the stalls at the end of the room caught her attention, for its door was open ajar (unlike the others, which were wide open). She took tentative steps across the tiled floor, feeling a rising sense of trepidation in her very core.

 Stopping in front of the stall, her azure orbs glimpsed an impressive amount of graffiti marking its walls. Insulting messages were scrawled all over, all written in intimidating black ink.

“How horrible…who would write such awful things?” the young heroine asked, completely appalled. Her eyes widened as she read each of the messages, a crushing sadness forming in her chest.

// ** _DIE_** //

// ** _WHY DO YOU KEEP COMING TO SCHOOL?_** //

// ** _WORTHLESS_** //

// ** _NO ONE WANTS YOU HERE!_** //

// ** _GET LOST, LOSER_** //

// ** _FREAK_** //

// ** _PATHETIC NERD_** //

// ** _EYESORE_** //

Dani’s heart felt heavy, clogged with a great dejection. Someone in this mirrored realm must be suffering immensely, much in the same way she was. One of the students in this inverted version of Casper High was too a victim of unrelenting bullies, tormentors. It wasn’t too much of a stretch, Dani supposed, to assume that said abusers were getting away with their abhorrent actions, just like those at her school. And if this was the case, then the rage, misery, and anguish the sufferer was going through had to be more than they could bear. For an outsider, a mere bystander, reading the hatful messages inscribed on the walls, the ghost girl felt as if the dam was going to burst.

She understood that pain, the feeling of utter hopelessness, and drive for revenge. As Dash, Kwan, Paulina, and the others had inspired Dani to do harm to them, she sympathized with this victim’s desire to do the same. To respond in kind was the only logical course of action, when one reaches to the brink of despair.

A discordant sound forced Dani out of her head, and when she turned to the source, she witnessed the bathroom door hurdling towards her. Yiping, she ducked, just narrowly dodging the massage projectile. It very well could have taken her head off!

Standing in the doorway was Poindexter, looking ever more incensed. His prepubescent hands had clenched into constricted fists, leading Dani to believe that if he were human, he would have cut off his own circulation. His features expressed great agitation, with his nostrils flared and his thin lips folded into a deep frown.

“That’s far enough, bully! You can’t escape, and I’ll make sure you **never** hurt **anyone** again.”

Another rumbling sound emanated from behind the walls, and suddenly the urinals and sinks became faucet sprayers, launching torrents of water as if the pipes had ruptured. In under a minute, the young heroine, along with her surroundings, were thoroughly drenched.

“Wait! Poindexter, it’s not what you think! **I’m** the victim here! Dash, Paulina, Kwan, and the rest of them have been bullying me since I got into high school! They despise me, and I have no idea why! They use their popularity to get away with mistreating me---and other people, too!”

“SILENCE!”

Water erupted from the toilets, soaking the ceiling and stalls even more. Then the debatably sanitary amenities groaned, their bowls suddenly forming frowns of their own. All six of them pointed at the young half ghost, thereby directing the forceful liquid in her direction. The geysers shoved her into the sinks, water dousing her already sopping body. All at once, the fear of drowning careened into her mind, seeing as the water was pooling in her noise. It also stung her cuts, adding insult to injury.

_I can’t get through to him. Why doesn’t he understand? If he saw what I did to my bullies, then why couldn’t he see what they did to me? Is he just **that** enraged, that he can’t listen to reason? Am I an easier target, since I happened to be close to my locker when I spooked Dash and Kwan?_

  Peering through one eye, Dani stared into the blackened orbs of Sidney Poindexter, trying to gain a better understanding of his motives, his feelings. His anger---no---his **fury** was intense, if his abilities were any indicator; the sheer amount of ghostly energy needed to tear apart his surroundings must have been a reflection of his pungent emotions. But, if this was so, then why was he so incensed? Did he despise bullies that much? Understandable, but not expected, unless he himself was an unfortunate victim of one.

_Wait a minute…_

   _Of course!_

The girl lifted her head slightly, clearing the blasts of water still beating her fragile form.

“Sidney! It’s all true isn’t it---the legend of locker 724? The reason why its haunted, the reason why you exact vengeance on bullies---you were a victim too, weren’t you?”

“I don’t want to hear it, you perpetrator of evil!” he called over the gushing spouts.

“Those messages in the stall---they were about you---targeting you, weren’t they?”

“I said SILENCE, YOU HARLOT!” he screamed.

The water stopped, as all of it had been drained from the pipes. The young heroine collapsed unto the floor, hitting the wet surface on her hands and knees. Streams of droplets fell from her raven locks, with tiny dollops resting on her eyelashes. Her ragged coughs reverberated in the now noiseless room, creating the illusion that the space was bigger than it really was. Glancing up, Dani saw Poindexter advancing; his expression unchanged.

“Who’s the victim now, halfa?” he sneered.

 

********

 

Plasmius had rocketed across town to reach Casper High, getting there in record time. Much like the rooftop incident, the older half ghost wasted no time on inquires or investigations; his little badger was in danger, and nothing was going to get in his way.

Normally, one would have to wonder by now whether or not Danielle was a magnet for trouble. Or, if she lacked the capabilities to properly defend herself. Vlad, however, entertained no such thoughts. His worry for her outweighed any sort of pedantic conjectures. He knew she was competent, he believed in her potential. So perhaps the foe she had encountered was stronger than her? Had she met her match?

The billionaire mentally berated himself. Without adequate coaching, Dani had no idea what she could really do; she was clueless to the possibilities. He was well aware that his move was sudden, as well as the fact that he had been held up with work due do said move, but he lamented in his failure to begin Dani’s training. They were supposed to start tomorrow---he just hoped that wasn’t too late.

Now soaring through the near-vacant halls of Casper High, the businessman advanced toward Tucker and Sam. He was indeed glad Dani had reliable friends.

Being invisible, the two kids didn’t notice his presence until he manifested before them, startling them. 

“Geez! You got here fast,” Tucker remarked, gathering herself.

“Where is Danielle?”

“She was pulled into her locker, like Tucker said,” Sam stated, pointing to the thing in question with his thumb. “Sidney Poindexter is behind it.”

“And who, pray tell, is this?” Plasmius prodded.

“The legendary ghost of Casper High,” Tucker explained. “He went to school in the 50s, and he was bullied in unimaginable ways. The story goes that he was shoved into his locker so many times, his soul still resides there to this very day.”

“And he takes revenge on anyone who torments someone else. He’s like a guardian angel for the geeks and freaks,” the goth added.

The eccentric older man glanced at locker 724, noting its state of dereliction. He supposed the time frame could be right, but there was no way to make sure. In the end though, it didn’t matter to him when this thing existed or what had taken her---all he cared about was getting his little badger back safe.

However, he couldn’t be impulsive. Brash action had led him to getting clocked on the back of the head at Ember’s concert, which made Vlad worry. As he had told Dani, such a thing was unheard of for him. No adversary had been able to get the better of him like that. It soon became clear to the older half ghost that he was too focused on Danielle; she was clouding his senses and causing him to make mistakes. Sure, they were nothing **too** egregious for the time being, but if he didn’t steel himself, there could be serious repercussions down the line.

With a determined visage, he walked to the locker, phasing a hand through its rusty door. He reached in further, and felt the smooth glass of the mirror. Raising an eyebrow, he pulled his arm back out.

“Did Danielle place that in there?”

“The mirror? Nah, she doesn’t even own one like that. It was kinda vintage looking,” Tucker noted.

The billionaire reached in again, narrowing his eyes in concentration. His gloved hand ran over the surface of the glass, attempting to breech its cold exterior.

“Danielle? Can you hear me?”

He couldn’t sense anything otherworldly. If the mirror truly did possess supernatural capabilities, it sure wasn’t showing it now.

“Danielle? Are you alright? Can you hear me?” his tone, though calm, betrayed the growing apprehension in his stomach. If he couldn’t reach her, how was he to save her? Would he ever see her again?

He shook his head.

_Now is not the time for such thoughts. Danielle does need doubts---she needs **me**._

He pressed his palm to the center of the mirror, channeling his ecto-energy through his hand. Gradually, fuchsia light shone out the slots of the locker.

“What is he doing?” Tucker whispered to Sam.

“How should I know?”

Vlad closed his eyes in further concentration. His brow furrowed, displaying the strain he was putting on himself. A voice in the back of his head was telling him that using such a vast amount of his energy for this task was a bad idea, but he ignored it. After all, one of the things the pompous businessman prided himself in was his ability to regenerate his power quickly.

“Danielle? It’s me. I’m going to get you out of there, I promise,” he declared with a hefty conviction.

The light increased in brightness, causing Sam to close one eye and Tucker to shield her face with her arms. Peering through squinting eyes, the geek addressed the older ghost: “What’re you trying to do---break the mirror?”

Plasmius bore his fangs as his tension rose. His strength was not waning, but he knew that soon he would be on the precipice; it was only a matter of time before his power would start to weaken. Using so much energy in such a short period would have drained any **normal** ghost by now. 

“Danielle!”

“Why do you think Poindexter pulled Dani inside the mirror?” Tucker asked the goth.

“I dunno. Maybe it’s some kind of portal---maybe it leads to a region in the Ghost Zone or something.”

“I can’t sense anything akin of Ghost Zone energy,” Vlad started, his crimson orbs opening. “But I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Wait! I’m so stupid!” lamented Sam. “Poindexter dragged Dani in there ‘cause **she** was acting like a bully!”

The billionaire’s brow accommodated a bewildered visage. “What?” he asked as he looked over his shoulder.

“Dani was humiliated at lunch today, and before that Dash and Kwan trashed her cellphone. She, Tucker, and I have been the targets of the popular kids for years, but they go after Dani a lot more. And today was the worse they have ever treated her.”

Vlad’s blood boiled.

_Some pitiful, ungrateful, ignorant brats dared to persecute **MY** little badger? _

He felt a primal rage building in his core, threatening to consume is gentlemanly façade. To act on his baser urges in front of these children would be disastrous for his image, however. He was well aware of Sam’s mistrust and general dislike of him. No need to prove the boy’s allegations.

Fighting back a guttural growl, the older half ghost sighed through his nose and phased his other arm into the locker. Now, he was channeling twice the amount of energy as before, which he knew would be a gamble. It might help him connect to Danielle, or it could zap all his strength much quicker and he would have no results at all.

_I mustn’t be too rash, but I can’t think of any other alternatives. I cannot sense anything supernatural about this mirror, but I believe it must be a doorway of sorts. As Mr. Manson surmised, it must be a portal or gateway. Perhaps it is because it’s a mortal object that I’m unable to sense its power._

His eyes began to glow, a red aura emanating from them. Focusing on the locker with great intensity, Vlad applied pressure to the glass, pressing harder and harder with both hands.

Suddenly, the locker door blew open, startling the billionaire and his adolescent company. The looking glass was brimming with a green misty aura and the strange fog wafted from the locker and unto the floor.

“Not again,” Tucker whined.

Plasmius scanned the mist-infested ground, watching for something---anything---to attack. After half a minute, however, nothing happened.

“By now, the mist entangled Dani,” Sam noted.

“It was a warning shot…” Vlad thought out loud.

“Huh?”

“This ‘Poindexter’ didn’t intend to attack me. He’s cautioning me to stay away.”

“Because you’re not bullying anyone, he has no reason to **actually** attack you,” the computer geek put together.

“Exactly.”

But this silly little “warning shot” wouldn’t be enough to scare Vlad Plasmius away. He walked back over to the locker and pressed a firm hand to the glass, once again feeding his power into it’s surface. He had to break through somehow.

Then something accorded to him.

He felt like slapping himself.

_Honestly! Butter Brickle, I need to pay attention!_

 If the mirror was a mortal object, then he should be able to phase through it!

Vlad went intangible and reached for the looking glass. He was seconds away from entry when a hurricane-like wind forced him back. The billionaire, being intangible, sailed through the wall behind him, disappearing from the teens’ sight. The blustery menace pushed Tucker and Sam back as well, sending them into the same wall. Tucker hit the back of her head on a combination lock, whereas Sam knocked into a lower locker with his back.

They both grunted.

“Now what?” the computer geek asked in frustration.

Then Plasmius popped back out of the way and flew straight for the mirror. Still intangible, he sailed into the winds, fighting them. Typically, when a ghost is incorporeal, they may pass through anything; but Vlad realized then that he was facing another consequence for his brazenness. Since he had used much of his raw energy, Vlad had wasted a decent amount of power attempting to gain access.

Once again, he felt like kicking himself.

Now he was finding it difficult to battle the accursed winds. His face morphed into a strained grimaced as he practically clawed his way to the locker 724.

_Danielle---I’m coming! Wait for me!_

 

*********

 

“Sidney…I get it…the yearning to get even…that’s what I was doing today…trying to get payback…but I forgot something…something vital…something my friend Sam was trying to remind me of.”

Now she understood.

Or rather, she remembered **how** to understand.

For a while, Dani had stopped caring about the difference between right and wrong; the only thing that mattered to her was **her** definition of right and wrong. In her eyes, her hurt justified her actions, granting her the right to pester Dash and his ilk in ways that, despite being leagues tamer than what she’d experienced, were still wrong. Bullying was bullying, no matter the degree.

“I made a mistake…several, actually. I should know better than anyone what it feels like to be targeted by someone stronger and more intimidating than you. What I was seeking wasn’t justice---not real justice. In the end, I’m no better than the people I bothered.”

“And all bullies deserve the same treatment; a right kick in the shin!” Poindexter proclaimed.

“ **This** is your version of a ‘kick in the shin’?”

Dani stood, feeling the tightness of her shirt and jeans as they stuck to her skin. She inwardly cringed at the sensation of wet socks when she planted her feet on the slippery floor.

“Had enough yet, bully?” the ghostly dweeb inquired with a smirk, crossing his arms confidently.

“I regret what I did. I shouldn’t have gone after Dash and Kwan and the others like that. I realize that now. But Sidney, don’t you see? You’re walking in my footsteps---have for the last 5 decades.”

Poindexter’s grin faded, giving way to another fierce glare. “Take care now, halfa. I **punish** bullies. I’m not one of them.”

“But in doing these things, don’t you think you’re acting like one? I get it though---I thought it was different ‘cause **I** was the one acting against my bullies. But it doesn’t matter! It’s still wrong!”

“I’m **better** than them! ALL OF THEM! They thought they could torment me, break me! Well, they plague me no longer, and neither will **you**.”

 Dani suddenly found herself surrounded by more of Poindexter’s mist. It creeped around her form, snaking around her again until it reached the top of her head. The ghost dweeb held up his arm, his hand close to his chest. He clenched it, narrowing his blackened eyes as he did. It was obvious to the young heroine that this ghost could not be reasoned with, negotiated with. He was bound and determined to end her, and all bullies that roamed Casper High’s halls.

When Poindexter clasped his fist, the mist constricted the young girl once more, holding her in a vice-like grip. Her opponent advanced then, that fist now emitting an ominous green aura.

“Wait! I know you’re a better person than this, Sidney. You have to be! I get it! We’re in the same boat. You felt powerless against your abusers, so you’ve devoting your afterlife to protect others like you! But in the end, you’re no better than those you claim to hate!”

“That’s enough!”

“Please, Sidney! Don’t succumb to vengeance! You’ll be lost if you continue down this path!”

“ENOUGH!”

He opened his fist, his fingers pointed at the trapped heroine. The light intensified, which in turn made the mist tighten its hold. Dani felt her chest compress and her bones pop, realizing that in her human form, she was far more vulnerable. She let out a cry, gritting her teeth when she finished.

_What am I gonna do? I can’t go ghost in this misty stuff!_

It was quite ironic, actually; to have seen the error of her ways, only to expire at the hands of a similar spirit. She could have laughed, but her sense of humor wasn’t that dark. She shut her eyes as the constriction increased. Was she ever going to escape this mirrored world?

Dani’s mind forced her to remember her friends, not doubt still standing in the hall in front of her locker. She recalled the looks on their faces as she was pull in; utterly astonished and concerned. They would wait an eternity for her to return, as she would do for them, but if she didn’t…

_Sam and Tucker would worry about me for the rest of their lives. So would my parents… probably Jazz…and…_

_And…_

Would Vlad miss her? Would he mourn her absence?

_Of course he would! He cares about me, just not in the way I care for him, but it’s not just that! What about Amity Park? Would the people be safe? Could the city go on as normal, or would the ghosts slowly infest and take over?_

The ghost girl had a job to do---to protect Amity Park and its citizens from the malicious forces of the Ghost Zone, and she would be remised in her duties if she were to give up here. After all, she only lost the battle if she gave up.

_And…I can’t let Vlad down---I refuse to._

“ ** _Danielle? Can you hear me?_** ”

_Vlad!_

“Vlad?!” Dani repeated out loud.

“ ** _Danielle? Are you alright? Can you hear me?_** ”

“Yes! Yes, I can hear you!” Relief laced her words like a scarf.

“Who’s that?” Poindexter panicked. “How’s he able to break through?”

The young heroine’s face lit up like a blind person seeing color for the first time. He’d come for her, just like the last time.  

_I knew he would! I knew he wouldn’t let me be trapped here forever!_

“Who is that?!” the ghostly dweeb persisted.

“Someone I really care about---someone who’s gonna help me outta this!” she cried in triumph.

Poindexter growled, applying more pressure to Dani’s person. She yelled in discomfort as she struggled. She’d promised not to let Vlad down, right? So she was determined to meet him half way!

“It’s pointless, bully! You’ll never leave this world! Your fate was sealed the moment you tormented those poor kids!”

“I keep telling you, **they** were the ones harassing **me**!”

The pressure increased still, and this time the heroine was sure her arms were losing circulation. She found herself short of breath, alerting her to her failing lungs. Alarm raged her mind, causing her to push back against her bondage. First near-drowning and now suffocation? The ghost girl was experiencing quite the range of painful situations, today.

Then something hit her; these punishments were very reminiscent of how she felt emotionally when harassed by Dash and his brood. This afternoon, in the cafeteria, she felt like she was drowning in hopelessness, and the embarrassment was near suffocating---unrelenting. Poindexter’s powers brought these emotions to life via physical means.

Where these the things he felt?

Did he suffocate and drown?

_How alone did he feel? Does he still feel alone, now? This world---this mirrored version of my school---where in the Ghost Zone is it? Does he live in a desolate region of the Ghost Zone?_

“Ah!” the ghost heroine cried, the mist crunching her sides and dislocating one of her arms. Tears fell from her baby blues, but not just from her current agony.   

“ ** _Danielle? It’s me. I’m going to get you out of there, I promise._** ”

Vlad’s soothing voice did little to ease the pain in her heart. It was as if the organ had, once more, become an overwhelming weight. Why did **anyone** have to go through such misery? Why were certain people spared while others subjected to soul crushing torment? Why had she been a target? Why had **Poindexter** been a target? What did they do wrong to deserve others’ ridicule and persecution?

Dani knew just how lucky she was---she had her parents, Sam, Tucker, and now, Vlad, but it appeared Sidney Poindexter had **no one**. Becoming the vengeful spirit he was, he proved that he felt alone in the world; if he had no one to save him from his fate, no one to talk him out of these things in life, then morphing into the ghost he was now explained it all.

The young girl couldn’t stop the sobs as they escaped her throat, her tears cascading down her reddening cheeks. Truly, emotional pain far surpassed physical agony.

“Why’re you…why do you cry like that?” Poindexter asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m so sorry, Sidney! I’m so sorry you were so alone! I’m so sorry you had to endure all that pain on your own!”

The ghostly dweeb’s lips parted, giving the impression that he wanted to say something. The aura that coated his frail grey hand diminished slightly, lightening the pressure to Dani’s body. Noticing this, the young half ghost looked down at her restraints, then back to her captor.

“How…how could you know all that?” Poindexter questioned with sincerity.

“Because I understand you,” the girl replied. “I know what’s its like to feel completely and utterly alone. People go to dark places when they feel alone, and not all of us are lucky enough to have people in our corners. When you don’t…it’s easy to become vengeful, angry. But I was selfish today; I forgot that I had people in my corner, and let my own stupid wishes guide my actions. And for that, I’m also sorry.”

The black in Poindexter’s eyes started to recede, revealing the white and grey again.

“I acted so stupidly, and frankly, I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for being so childish. But Sidney, you have a chance to change, too! You can be better than this; better than those jerks who tormented you all those years ago, better than Dash and Kwan and Paulina. You can be better than a bully!  

The ghost slowly lowered his arm, and the aura died down as well. He looked reflective, deep in his own thoughts; his eyes seemed conflicted, matching his troubled appearance well. Perhaps her words had reached him at last?

“You know? Then…that was you---in the cafeteria today!” Poindexter cried, realization suddenly spreading across his ache-ridden face.

“That’s right. **I** was the one who was humiliated in front of the whole school. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Sidney,” Dani stated gently. “And all because Dash thought I was a slut and a gold digger.”

“What?”

“He saw a text---er---a message I got from the guy I like, and he figured out that he was older than me.”

“A guy you…”

“Yeah. And now everyone thinks the same.”

“Then…then **I’m** the bully here…!” the boy asserted, with alarm flashing in his now clear eyes.

“But you don’t have to be anymore. You can be a nice ghost, and who knows? Maybe we can be---”   

“ ** _Danielle!_** ”

Poindexter’s head shot to his left, most likely feeling Vlad’s attempts to break through. As if out of reflex, both of Poindexter’s fists emitted his green aura. _His guard must be way_ up, thought the heroine. It was silent between him and Dani for a minute, with the latter feeling the mist loosen its grip. She blinked and looked down, seeing the last vestiges of the constricting haze vanish into the ether.

Dani looked up at Poindexter then, comparing his current state to a startled rabbit; frozen and wide eyed. She also noted that his fists were back to normal.

“Sidney?”

“That’s him, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“The guy you like; that’s him.” He turned around to ask again. “Isn’t it?”

Dani noted the fright in his eyes. Was he really that afraid of Vlad, or was it something else?

“Yes…that’s him,” she answered, unable to stop the blush that crept up in her cheeks.

“I knew it!” he lamented. “I was about to ruin something special---something us freaks almost never get to experience---because I became a **bully**!”

The ghost girl began walking to the elegiac boy. “It’s O.K. though. No harm done, see? I’m not dead or anything, and I’m sure if we explain the situation to Vlad, I know he’ll understand---”

“But I still **did it**! I caused you pain and nearly tore you and your lover apart!”

“L-lover?” Despite the severity of the situation, Dani’s blush deepened.

“You were right, halfa! I’m just another bully who doesn’t deserve your kindness!” he cried hysterically, tears flowing from his eyes.

“No, Sidney, that’s not---”

The ghostly boy threw his head in his hands, bawling like a newborn. Then another powerful wind formed around Poindexter, circling him like a tornado. Dani reached out, only for the overgrown breeze to blow her away like a leaf. She hit the floor on her butt, grunting as she did. Soon the boy was rising in the air, reaching the center of the tornado in seconds. The forceful winds drifted then, taking Poindexter out of the bathroom and into the hall.

“Wait! Sidney!”

Dani raced after it, nearly slipping on the wet floor. Once passed the bathroom’s threshold, she witnessed the tornado trek down the hall, closing in on locker 724.

_If his powers embody his emotions, then is this his inner turmoil?_

“Sidney! Hold on!”

The half ghost sprinted to the tormented spirit, fighting the winds with her human strength.

Which didn’t get her very far.

“Sidney! It’s O.K.! You don’t have to torture yourself! You realized what you were doing is wrong---that’s a big step! Now you can move on!”

The winds prevented the boy from hearing her. She steeled herself, and pushed head long into the storm. She was determined to save this ghost, even if his enemy was himself.

 **Especially** if the enemy was himself.

She leaped into the current-like winds, straining as she reached out for Poindexter.

“SIDNEY!”

The boy looked up from his hands.

“I won’t leave you! I promise!”

The ghost’s eyes widened with shock. Dani could see he was trembling, something she didn’t think ghosts were capable of. None the less, she stretched her arm even further upward, and then was taken up by the winds. She shouted in surprise, but quickly gathered herself.

She flew up to Poindexter and grabbed him by the arm, her body resembling a billowing flag.

“I’ve got you! I’m here for you, now!”

Sidney’s eyes glistened with tears, and he threw himself into Dani’s body. She, in turn, embraced him tight. He was cold, icy to the touch, but the girl dared not let go. She had a promise to keep, and nothing would cause her to break it.

Unexpectedly, a sharp clang sound assaulted Dani’s ears. She looked down at the floor, and saw locker 724’s door wide open, and Vlad Plasmius hovering just in front of it.

“Danielle!”

“Vlad!”

The older ghost zipped through the air, careening right into the ferocious winds. His ghostly strength had yet to regenerate in full, he then surmised. In response, he bore his fangs at the one responsible. Dani, luckily, quickly caught this.

“Hold up, Vlad!” She entreated the billionaire. “Sidney didn’t mean to harm anyone! He thought he was doing what was right! He was blinded by vengeance, but he understands now!”

“Nevertheless, he’s **hurt** you!” the incensed businessman pointed out.

Dani recalled the cuts to her face, the bruise to her shoulder, and her dislocated arm, which dangled by her side. True, each of them still ached, but they were nothing compared to the distress Poindexter was in. And, to be fair, she may have had those cuts and the bruise coming.

“That doesn’t matter!”

“It does to me!” Vlad insisted.

 Even with the current predicament, Dani’s stomach released its butterfly swarm.

_Seriously? Can’t I do **anything** serious with Vlad around? _

“Don’t hurt him, Vlad, please! He really didn’t see it! The truth eluded him ‘cause his mind was somewhere else!”

Plasmius’s cape flapped in the vicious wind as he stood tall, unmoving. He looked quite cold to Dani then, giving off the aura of a ruthless mercenary. This was a side of him she merely caught a glimpse of at the reunion---the stare he gave her when they first met; the icy, oppressive gaze of a predator.

Suddenly, the young half ghost found herself afraid for Poindexter’s afterlife.

“I’m fine, Vlad, really! The cuts aren’t that deep, and my arm’s just dislocated, not broken!”

“‘ **Dislocated** ’?” he repeated, venom oozing from his tone.

_O.K….not helpful, Fenton._

“It’s fine! **I’m** fine!” she persisted.

“It’s alright, ghost girl,” Poindexter mumbled, sniffling. “You don’t have to protect me.”

“Yes I do! I made a promise, didn’t I? I said I was here for you, and I meant it! We’re gonna walk out of this intact, Sidney, you n’ me!” she decreed, with a powerful conviction.

The older half ghost saw this display, responding by adopting a surprised expression. Was she truly that foolish, that she would try to aid her enemy? No, his little badger was no push over. Then what was it? What bid her to comfort this sniveling, pathetic waste of ectoplasm?

_Is she…just that empathetic?_

Was Dani’s heart indeed that pure, that she would forgive this pitiful ghost for his atrocious transgressions? Ordinarily, Vlad would think that anyone who shared this type of philosophy was a fool, and a gullible one at that. He would make quick work berating the naïve idiot; mocking them for their childish way of thinking. And, to an extent, he **still** felt this way. However, concerning the young girl that floated high above him, Vlad couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing. Did this make him a hypocrite?

Probably.

Did he care?

No.

At that moment, the brutal storm of manifested turmoil started to die down, spiraling in the opposite direction it had been previously. Danielle and Poindexter descended to the colorless floor, with the former’s good arm still wrapped around the other in a supportive embrace. Once the two touched the ground, the winds disappeared entirely. Plasmius drifted over to them, a skeptical look adoring his features.

The young heroine looked up at him. “See? He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”  

The billionaire chuckled then, still feeling rather uncertain. But he trusted his little badger, so he decided to let it go.

_Poindexter had better not make me come to regret this---this mercy of mine---which I rarely grant._

The younger half ghost slid her arm off Poindexter’s back, smiling at him tenderly. He returned her gaze, and offered a meek smile in reply.

“I don’t know what to say,” he stated, gripping his elbow with a tentative hand.

“I can think of several things,” Plasmius said in a warning tone.

“Vlad,” the ghost girl reprimanded, turning her head to look at the older ghost. Then she faced the boy once more. “Don’t think much of it. Just trying to be helpful.”

“‘Helpful’? You’re a saving grace! A guardian angel! The ginchiest gal in the entire Ghost Zone!”

Vlad stiffened, with his face bearing a disgruntled visage.

“Thanks! I think…” the young girl acknowledged, though a bit perplexed. She made a mental note to look up “ginchiest” later.

“And I’m sorry…” the boy began, glancing at Dani’s limp appendage. “For your arm.”

“It’s O.K. I’ll be---uh---‘right as rain’ in no time,” she replied, trying to match her new friend’s slang.

“Good to hear!” he chirped.

_Nailed it._

“Danielle, I don’t mean to put a damper on this oh so touching moment,” the older man cut in. “But we should be getting back, now.”

“Oh! Sure thing, Vlad.” The young half ghost smiled at Poindexter a second time and he, in turn, held out a hand to her. Puzzled, she put her own hand out, and when the realization hit, she shook it.

_Duh, Dani. What were you expecting; some kind of weird “ghost goodbye” thing? This kid is from the 50s; this is all he knows._

After one more quick hug (much to Vlad’s dismay) the young teenager waved to the ghostly dweeb and followed her mentor through the mirror, as he had turned his protégé intangible to get her through. Once back on the other side, both Sam and Tucker threw their arms around her, inciting a curt sigh from the billionaire. That night, Dani would make sure to tell her friends all about the **real** Sidney Poindexter.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only just learned that baby blue and azure are two completely different shades of blue (the former being lighter and the latter being darker) so for the sake of convenience, I'm going to refer to Dani's eye color as baby blue, since her eyes are a lighter shade than Vlad's. Sorry for any confusion!


End file.
